Mini Valentine’s Day Unit Study!

Vary your homeschooling! Here’s a Mini Valentine’s Day Unit study, broken down by subject, to add some pizazz to your homeschooling.

Whether you’re baking your kids heart-shaped Valentine’s cookies (my son’s favorite!) or taking an afternoon off to make Valentine’s cards for your family, local librarians, nursing home, or neighbors, this mini Valentine’s Day unit study will help. Know that variety in your day-to-day homeschool routine is part of what keeps things fun and engaging.  And I’m all about effective, lifegiving homeschooling — so take any opportunity to do something different to keep yourself and your kids motivated to keep on keeping on.

This Mini Valentines Day unit study includes 15+ ideas to celebrate Valentine’s Day while getting some academic work done, too.  Win-win!  And make sure you read to the bottom where I’ve added some of our favorite board books to include your preschoolers.

Valentine’s Day ideas for History and Geography

1.  Did you know the original St. Valentine was said to be a Christian martyr?  Noting that there are a few different versions of the St. Valentine’s legend, have your middle or high schooler research and create a short oral report about St. Valentine’s life and death and present it to your family.

2. Have your dramatically-inclined student use the above research and create a short play based on St. Valentine’s life and perform it for another homeschooling family.

3. Task your students with researching Valentine’s Day during the Middle Ages and find out what Valentine’s Day had to do with birds.

4.  One of the most common symbols of Valentine’s Day is a Cupid. After defining the word “symbol” for your younger students, have your older ones research Cupid, draw a picture of one (in color, of course) and include a description of the origins of Cupid on the page.

5. Valentine’s Day is not just an American holiday! Have your student(s) locate other countries where Valentine’s Day is celebrated and do one or more of the following:

• Make a notebooking page for every country you find that celebrates Valentine’s Day.
• List the Valentine’s Day traditions of that country
• Draw a map of each country, labeling major cities and landforms
• Have your children choose one or more interesting traditions that they learn about and incorporate it/them into your family’s celebration.
• Create a world map labeling the countries that celebrate Valentine’s Day.

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Valentine’s Ideas for Language Arts

8. Create a word search including the following terms: Valentine’s Day, roses, pink, red, lace, cupid, card, St. Valentine, heart, doves, chocolate, etc.

9. Download your choice of 50 (free) Valentine’s Day notebooking pages to encourage your kids to write.

10. What does the  Bible say about love?  Instruct your students to find verses that describe the love that God has for His people, for the church, and the love believers should have for one another.  For upper elementary on up, have them make a three-column list of these verses and write them out. Alternatively, choose some of the verses as copy work and/or memorization.

11. Have your students define the word “love” in a paragraph.  Have them read about love in the Bible and then revise their paragraph as needed, including Bible verses as references. For middle school and older,  use this assignment as a lesson between love as a “feeling” and love as a “choice” and/or an “action.”

Valentine’s Ideas in Science

12. Use this holiday as an opportunity for a quick scientific study of the heart. Check out some of these images and animations that show the heart when it’s healthy and sick. While you’re there,  learn about heart scientists and how doctors treat heart problems.  Alternatively, you can have your kids write a short report about the function of the human heart.  Include a diagram of the heart, like the image below, labeling the various parts. Have your students use different colors showing how blood flows into and out of the heart.

12.  Make a poster comparing and contrasting the human heart and the heart of an amphibian or reptile. If comparing and contrasting is a new concept you may want to use a Venn Diagram for help.

13.  Have your late middle or high school student make a list of Bible verses that mention the heart.  Have your student list each verse and then in a few sentences explain what the verse says about the heart.  Discuss your student’s findings.

Valentine’s Ideas for Fun and Family Ministry

14. Gather your construction paper, wrapping paper scraps, Ric-rack, spare buttons, markers, glue, and other craft supplies in the appropriate colors. Take an afternoon off school and construct hand-made Valentine’s cards for friends, family, elderly or shut-in neighbors, children at a local hospital, etc.  Add a Bible verse about love to your cards and talk about what the verse means.

15.  Bake heart-shaped sugar cookies, frost with red, white, or pink icing, and glaze with sugar.  Include a homemade card and cookies and take to the neighbors, nursing home or use them to create a care package for a college student or two. These are my son’s favorite.

16. Start a new tradition!  Join with another family or two and assign any of the above ideas to different children.  Plan and execute a Valentine’s Party or dessert.  Have everyone share their reports and projects, exchange Valentines, and then enjoy homemade Valentine’s treats!

17. Fill small decorated boxes with personal items such as soap, washcloth, shampoo, gum, colorful socks, toothpaste, children’s toothbrush, and small toys. Deliver to a local homeless shelter to be given to any children housed there.

Include your preschoolers in your Mini Valentines Day Unit Study, too!

And let’s not leave out any of the youngest members of your family — here are some adorable books your littles will love! Click on the empty boxes below to see the book covers and learn more.

Have your preschooler join the hunt under the flaps of this adorable board book looking for your “Sweetie Pie.” only discover at the end that there’s a mirror under the last flap! ❤️

This sweet little padded board book has darling animal illustrations and will help your little ones learn to count from one to ten.

Have you seen the “Llama Llama” series yet?  My grands love them all. This adorable, rhyming board book shows how your little one can express his or her love to others on Valentine’s Day or any day!

Remember that variety is the key to keeping homeschooling fun! So break things up and incorporate  Valentine’s Day into your regular homeschooling by using this Mini Valentine’s Day Unit Study!

Have fun!